Living like a local is the holiday goal for James Reyne.
WHICH WAS YOUR BEST HOLIDAY?
That's like asking what your best song is! I'm constantly travelling for a living, so a holiday for me involves settling into a city and just enjoying life as a local. Every few years I like going to London. It's cosmopolitan and I've got some great friends there. Some friends of mine are members of the Electric House in Notting Hill and that's my favourite hangout when in town.
AND THE BEST HOTEL YOU'VE STAYED IN?
I'm not really a fan of fancy five-star hotels. I prefer a more "holiday home" vibe. Saying that, I used to love staying at the Chateau Marmont in LA. Being in the music industry I liked the showbiz history of the place.
WHAT DO YOU ALWAYS TAKE WITH YOU
A clean pair of underpants is always essential, as is a good book. Being a working musician I like to keep my packing on the basic side.
WHAT'S YOUR BEST PIECE OF TRAVEL ADVICE
Be wary of the remote control and the bedspreads - they're the most unhygienic items in a hotel room. So I've been told.
AND YOUR WORST EXPERIENCE ON HOLIDAY?
I'm on tour all the time so losing luggage is an inconvenient regularity. However, my worst experience was in Brazil once on tour. Our exit visas we're messed up and we were stranded in Buenos Aires airport for three days. At the same time there was a general strike in Argentina, which delayed us even longer. Five days later I eventually boarded a flight back to Australia.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO NEXT?
I haven't been to America for some time and my daughter and I often talk about doing a lengthy trip to New York and then Hawaii after. I prefer to go to a place and settle into it for a while. I'm not the kind of traveller that arrives and then makes a beeline for the tourist sights, I prefer to soak in the city and live like a local. I lived in New York for a year back in the late 80s, I've been back once since but that was at least 16 years ago, so I imagine the city is very different.
Interview: Paul Ewart
James Reyne is touring nationally until November. See jamesreyne.com.au
